Foundry mold-making machine



4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

LESTER 0. YOUNG BY www! QM' 7 6PM( M L. C. YOUNG mm, |lh

FOUNDRY MOLD-MAKING MACHINE o o Q' UBI- Aug. E7, 1954 Filed June 8, 1950 ug. 17, i954 1 c, YOUNG 2,686,345

FOUNDRY MOLD-MAKING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

LESTER O. YOUNG WMM - 17, 1954 1 c. YOUNG FOUNDRY MOLDMAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 8, 1950 INVENTOR.

' LESTER C. YOUNG ug. 17, 1954 L, C YOUNG FOUNDRY MOLD-MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 8, 1950 INVENTOR. LESTER 0. YOUNG WMM@ Ml M Patented Aug. 17, 1954 OFFICE FOUNDRY MOLD-MAKING MACHINE Lester C. Young, Cleveland, Ohio, assigner to SPO, Incorporated, a corporation of Ohio Application June 8, 1950, Serial No. 166,792

Claims.

This invention relates to foundry equipment in general, and relates more specifically to jolt machinery for packing sand in a mold flask about a pattern.

An object of this invention is to provide equipment to eliminate manual handling of heavy mold parts.

Another object of this invention is to provide a foundry mold-making machine having one base part and a plurality of upper parts, with the upper parts being sequentially movable into operative relationship with the base part.

A further object of this invention is to mechanically close copes and drags, which copes and drags are produced at separate mold-making stations.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures l, 2 and 3 are broken sections of one side-elevational view of the complete mold-making unit portion of a machine built to embody the principles of this invention, the illustration being set forth in parts to provide enlarged views, and each gure having an overlapping portion of the subsequent figure;

Figure 4 is an end view of the conveyor rollover cage taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view along line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional View along line 6 6 of Figure 2; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary View of the conveyor and overhead track portion of Figure 2, with the power ram and sand dispenser indexed forward into the second operative position.

The Figures l, 2 and 3 are sections of one complete machine, and therefore the entire machine may be viewed by arranging the figures in the order indicated. This improved foundry machine is provided for the purpose of mechanically carrying a series of foundry equipment, such as core boxes or molding flask parts to a jolt table, closing the ask upon a pattern, and automatically illing, jolting, compressing, drawing from the pattern, and rolling the finished mold over. The roll-over feature is employed for drags and may be eliminated for copes.

ln Figure 2 of the drawings a jolt machine I0 is illustrated. The jolt machine I0 may be oi any suitable type, and incorporates a jolt table Ii adapted to raise a short distance and then drop of its own weight against an anvil to produce a jolt shock. A pattern plate I2 is removably secured to the jolt table II. Jolt machines, having a jolt table of the type indicated, are available in many types, and substantially any suitable type of jolt machine may be incorporated in the complete machine structure comprising this invention.

A conveyor I4 is provided to convey the flask parts to the jolt table and from the jolt table. It is, of course, possible to move the flask part to the jolt table and then return it along the same conveyor path, but for fastest operation and convenience the conveyor I4 is arranged in a continuous longitudinal path. An elevator section I5 is provided in the conveyor I4 directly above the top of the jolt table l I. This elevator section I5 is constructed of a framework having an opening therethrough large enough to permit the section I5 to move downwardly around the jolt table Ii and encompass the jolt table. Elevator mechanism I5 having an air piston motor I'I and a pivot arm I8 is provided to raise and lower the elevator section I5 between the full position and the phantom position illustrated in the Figure 2.

The section I5, when raised to the elevated position, is in line with the stationary portions of the conveyor I4, and accordingly a flask part may be moved continuously from end to end on the conveyor I. In its lower position, the section I5 .descends around the jolt table I4 to a position low enough that a ilask part carried thereby will be supported upon the jolt table rather than upon the section I5. Therefore, with the elevator section l5 in its raised position, a flask part may be rolled along the conveyor until it is supported above the jolt table Il, and thereafter lowered until it is resting upon the jolt table II. After being jolted by the table II, the ask part may thereafter be again raised to its position in line with the stationary portions of the conveyor I4 and moved out of alignment with the jolt machine lll.

A distance above the conveyor I4, and in parallel alignment therewith, is a track 25. This track 25 is employed to support a power ram 26 and a sand measuring and dispensing device 30 for longitudinal reciprocable movement. The power ram and sand dispenser may be supported upon the track 25 by any suitable type of carriage device, and in Figures 5 and 6 the power ram 26 is illustrated as being provided with carriage wheels 28, whereas the sand dispenser is provided with carriage wheels 3l. Other types of carriage devices may be employed as desired, and the ram and sand device supported thereon by suitable means.

A sand hopper 32 is positioned substantially as illustrated in Figure 2 to supply sand to the dispenser 30 when the dispenser 30 is in the position illustrated in the figure 2. The hopper 32 is stationary and controlled by suitable gates which may be controlled either manually or mechanically to fill the dispenser 3D at the proper time and with the proper amount of sand.

The longitudinal reciprocable carriage movement of the ram 26 and the dispenser 30 is an outstanding feature in the successful operation of the improved automatic mold-making machine illustrated in the drawings. This feature makes it possible to ll the ask parts and compress the sand in the mold parts by ram action without the use of human strength or hand operation. The ram and sand dispenser` may be reciprocated by a piston type air motor 35 which may be controlled automatically or manually. An indexing catch finger 33 is carried by the same carriage means supporting the ram and sand dispenser, and in fact, may be mounted upon the side of the sand dispenser 33 in the position illustrated in Figure 2. The catch finger 36 is extensible as illustrated by comparison between Figures 2 and 7. A suitable air driven ram is convenient for the catch finger 36 and may be actuated by a cam means and switch mounted on the machine if desired, thereby making its operation automatic.

Proper alignment of a flask upon a pattern plate is an accomplishment of this invention contributing largely to the successful elimination of human labor. In application Serial No. 146,303, an improved stub pin and guide pin structure was set forth to properly align a ask part upon a pattern plate after the liask part is brought into substantially proper alignment. This invention provides the mechanical precision to position a flask part within the limits of operation of the stub pin and guide pin invention set forth in the application Serial No. 146,303, now abandoned.

A bumper 2l, having two pads 22 thereon is carried by the carriage. In the illustrated embodiment, the bumper 2l is bolted directly to the sand dispenser 30 and indexes therewith. The flask parts are provided with four bumper pins '23 spaced at the four corners of the iiask part. The pads 22 are spaced to be contacted by the two front pins 23. The catch linger 35 is located to contact the rear side of the fiask part between the two rear pins 23. Therefore, the flask part is wedged between the two pads 22 and the catch pin 36 in a tight three-point grip. The flask parts may be conveyed along the conveyor I4 in rather loose alignment, but must be positioned above the pattern plate in substantially proper alignment with the pattern plate. Accordingly, a proper setting of the indexing of the carriage carrying the sand dispenser 3U and ram 26 will exactly position the ask part upon the elevator section I5 above the guide pins on the pattern plates.

Also on the bumper 2| are two pusher pads 24 to contact a ask part sitting on the elevator section I5 and push the flask part from the section I 5 onto the stationary portion of the conveyor I4. The bumper 2I thereby provides proper spacing of the flask parts, and also provides precision alignment of the flask parts with respect to the pattern plate.

The indexing, lling, jolting and squeezing of a flask is carried out completely by machine operation and does not require hand guidance or labor. The extensible catch finger 36 is extended downwardly to engage behind a fiask part, such as `4 drag I9 positioned upon the conveyor I4, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. The flask parts may be moved into the position under the sand dispenser 30 by mechanical indexing means including an air motor 31 and lingers 38, or may be moved by hand, as desired. Upon engagement of the finger 36 with the drag I9 longitudinal movement of the carriage means carrying the ram 26 and sand dispenser 30 is initated and the sand dispenser 30 is moved into a position' above the jolt table II as illustrated in Figure '7. Such longitudinal movement will carry the drag I9 along the conveyor I4, and thereby the drag I9 is also positioned upon the elevator section I5 above the jolt table II. The sand dispenser 3D is provided with closing gates 33 which are operated by a rack and pinion mechanism 34 and suitably powered by an air motor 33 which may be manually or automatically controlled. The gates 33 are maintained in a closed position during the advance movement of the ram and sand dispenser until after the drag I9 has been centered upon the elevator section I5 and lowered by the elevator mechanism I6 upon the pattern plate I2. Thereafter the gates 33 are opened and the sand allowed to run into the drag. After lling the drag I9 with the sand, the jolting operation is commenced and the air motor 35 reversed to repositionthe ram and sand dispenser into the position illustrated in Figure 2.

The power ram 2B is provided with a squeeze head I3 thereon in the illustrated embodiment of the invention. The squeeze head I3 is adapted to move downwardly toward the jolt table I I and squeeze the sand in the drag I9 tightly around the pattern within the drag I9. Therefore, after the jolting operation has been completed, and the carriage means actuated to move the ram 26 back to the position illustrated in Figure 2, the ram 26 is actuated to move the squeeze head I3 down and compress the sand. Of course, if de sired a jolt machine of the type having a combined jolt and upward movement for squeeze may be employed, and then a stationary squeeze head I3 used in place of the ram type illustrated. Nevertheless, whether ram type or stationary, the squeeze head I3 is indexed alternately with the sand dispenser 30 in order to provide the mechanical handling of foundry equipment without human labor.

After the drag I9 has been jolted and squeezed it is stripped from the pattern on the pattern plate I2 by elevating the conveyor section I5 back to the position in alignment with the stationary portions of the conveyor I4. The nished mold is then moved away from the jolt machine I0 as the carriage means and bumper 2l are again indexed forward as previously described.

Some types of foundry molds, namely the drag, must be inverted for further use in assembling the drag with a cope to complete the molding cavity. Accordingly, in Figure 3 an improved roll-over device 2li has been provided for use in machines equipped to make drag parts of the mold. This roll-over device is a unit having two spaced conveyor sections 40 and 4I held rigid with respect to one another by a suitable framework as illustrated. An air ram 45 is mounted on the framework of the roll-over 20, and has a projectable ram reciprocable between the conveyor sections 4D and 4I. The conveyor sections 40 and 4I, and the framework thereof, constitute what amounts to two opposite sides and the bottom of a box. The ram 45 is carried by the bottom of the box, and when actuated, will push out the contents of the box. The roll-over 20 is pivoted upon trunnions 42 positioned substantially centrally between the sections 4o and di. A rack and pinion mechanism 43 powered by an air motor 44 serves to rotate the roll-over 2o through a l80-degree swing from the position illustrated in Figure 3 wherein the section 4I is aligned with the conveyor I4 to an opposite position wherein the section 4!) is aligned with a continuation of the conveyor I4. Therefore, the nished mold in the drag I9 eventually is pushed along the conveyor I4 and into the roll-over 213 by the movement of the flasks as previously discussed. Upon receiving a finished drag I9, the roll-over 2i) is rotated through a 180-degree swing and thereby turns the finished drag upside down and resting upon the conveyor section lill. The air ram i5 is thereafter actuated to push the inverted drag out of the roll-over unit onto a stationary portion of the conveyor It. The roll-over 2e is locked by any suitable means while the ram I5 is operating, and then the roll-over is thereafter returned to the position illustrated in Figure 3 to receive the next finished mold part.

It is to be understood that the previously described operations may be controlled for automatic sequencing of operations without the aid of human control, and in fact the actual operating model from which the drawings were made is controlled in this manner, but manual control of each step is entirely feasible and satisfactory. In fact, it has been found that manual control is sometimes desirable even though fully automatic controls are available.

As before indicated, the mold-making machine may be used to make either copes or drags, that is, the machine may be set up to put the finished mold out of the machine in the downward position in which they were made, or the roll-over mechanism just described may be employed to invert the mold and place the cavity in the top position. The machine illustrated in the Figures 1 through '7 is provided with a rollover 20. To make copes, with the cavity therein remaining in a downward position, the machine can be provided without the roll-over 29.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A foundry mold-making machine comprising, two vertically spaced parallel tracks, the lower track having a section thereof mounted for vertical reciprocating movement, eievator means to raise and lower said section of the lower track to a first position aligned with the balance of the lower track and to a second position below the balance of the lower track, jolt table means centered below said section of the lower track, the top of said jolt table means being higher than said section in said second position, said section having an opening therethrough to allow said section to encompass said jolt table means, a power ram having a shaft with a squeeze head thereon, sand measuring and dispensing means, carriage means mounted on said upper track, means to mount said power ram and sand measuring means on said carriage, and power means for said carriage mounted to move said carriage in a laterally reciprocable path on said upper track.

2. A foundry mold-making machine comprising, two vertically spaced parallel tracks, the lower track having a section thereof mounted for vertical reciprocating movement, elevator means to raise and lower said section of the lower track to a rst position aligned with the balance of the lower track and to a second position below the balance of the lower track, jolt table means centered below said section of the lower track, the top of said jolt table means being higher than said section in said second position, said section having an opening therethrough to allow said section to encompass said jolt table means, a squeeze head, sand measuring and dispensing means, carriage means mounted on said upper track, means to mount said squeeze head and sand measuring means on said carriage, and power means for said carriage mounted to move said carriage in a laterally reciprocable path on said upper track.

3. A foundry mold-making machine comprising, two vertically spaced parallel tracks, the lower track having a section thereof moun'ted for vertical reciprocating movement, elevator means to raise and lower said section of the lower track to a first position aligned with the balance of the lower track and to a second position below the balance of the lower track, jolt table means centered below said section of the lower track, the top of said jolt table means being higher than said section in said second position, said section having an opening therethrough to allow said section to encompass said jolt table means, a power ram having a shaft with a squeeze head thereon, sand measuring and dispensing means, carriage means mounted on said upper track, means to mount said power ram and sand measuring means on said carriage, and power means for said carriage mounted to alternately position said power ram and sand measuring and dispensing means into a position above said jolt table means.

4. A foundry mold-making machine comprising, two vertically spaced parallel tracks, the lower track having a section thereof mounted for vertical reciprocating movement, elevator means to raise and lower said section of the lower track to a first position aligned with the balance of the lower track and to a second position below the baiance of the lower track, jolt table means centered below said section of the lower track, the top of said jolt table means being higher than said section in said second position, said section having an opening therethrough to allow said section to encompass said jolt table means, a squeeze head, sand measuring and dispensing means, carriage means mounted on said upper track, means to mount said squeeze head and sand measuring means on said carriage, and power means for said carriage mounted to alternately position said squeeze head and sand measuring and dispensing means into a position above said jolt table means.

5. A foundry mold-making machine comprising, a flask conveyor having first and second stationary sections spaced longitudinally, an elevator section bridging between said rst and second sections, a jolt unit having a jolt table, said jolt table being positioned directly below said elevator section, said elevator section having anopening therethrough permitting said elevator section to lower over said jolt table into an encompassing position below the top of said jolt table, power means to raise and lower said elevator section, an overhead track extending substantially parallel to said conveyor a spaced distance thereabove, a power ram having a shaft with a squeeze head thereon, sand measuring and dispensing means having bottom door means to drop a measured amount of sand toward said conveyor, carriage means mounted on said overhead track, means to mount said power ram and sand measuring means on said carriage with the ram shaft and squeeze head extending toward said conveyor, power means to drive said carriage reciprocably on said track and alternately position said sand measuring means and power ram in a position directly over said jolt table, and flask indexing means carried by said carriage adapted to engage a flask positioned on said conveyor below said sand measuring means and move said flask along under said sand measuring means as the carriage moves the sand measuring means toward said jolt table position.

6. A foundry mold-making and conveyor machine comprising, a flask conveyor having first and second stationary sections spaced longitudinally, an elevator section bridging between said stationary sections, a jolt table having a pattern plate positioned below said elevator section, and flask indexing means including'a bumper, parallel track means above said conveyor, carriage means on said track means, power means reciprocably driving said carriage between a first position over one of said stationary sections and a second position over said elevator section, means mounting said bumper on said carriage, said bumper having two spaced contact surfaces for engagement with a flask on said conveyor, a catch nger carried by said carriage, said catch finger and said contact surfaces being spaced in a triangular relationship having the catch finger as an apex, whereby a flask member may be tightly held in a three-point grip and precisely positioned upon said elevator section.

7. A foundry mold-making machine comprising, a jolt table mold making device, a first flask conveyor leading to said jolt table, a second conveyor leading from said jolt table, said first and second conveyors being longitudinally aligned with one another and elevated above the rest position of said jolt table, an elevator conveyor section, elevator power drive means raising and lowering said elevator section in a vertical path above said jolt table, said elevator section having an opening therethrough to allow said section to encompass said jolt table in the lowered position of the section, said elevator conveyor section being longitudinally alignable with said first and second conveyors in the elevated position of the elevator section, said conveyors thereby being adapted to carry mold flasks from said first conveyor to said elevator conveyor section and then from said elevator conveyor section to said second conveyor in an advance direction, a track above said first and second conveyors and longitudinally aligned therewith, a reciprocable carriage riding on said track, sand measuring and dispensing means, a power squeeze ram, said sand measuring and dispensing means and said power squeeze ram mounted on said carriage for longitudinal reciprocable advance and retract movement along said track, the power ram being mounted on the advance direction side of said sand dispensing means, the ram being mounted to extend downwardly from said track, and a flask indexing means carried by said carriage, said flask indexing means including a bumper positioned on the advance direction side of said sand dispensing means, and a catch finger carried on the retract direction side of said sand dispensing means, whereby flasks may be carried to the elevator section, lowered on the jolt table, filled, and thereafter squeezed between the jolt table and ram as another flask is picked up by the flask indexing means.

8. A foundry mold-making machine for use with a flask comprising a jolt machine, a first flask conveyor leading to said jolt machine, a second flask conveyor leading from said jolt machine, said first and second flask conveyors being spaced longitudinally from each other, conveyor flask support means between said first and second flask conveyors, said jolt machine having jolt flask support means positioned in vertical alignment with said conveyor flask support means, said first and second conveyors and said conveyor flask support means being longitudinally alignable with each other and being above a rest position of the jolt flask support means, said first conveyor conveying a flask to said conveyor flask support means, elevator means selectively movable between first and second positions and connected to one of said flask support means for raising and lowering the same relative to the other of said flask support means, said elevator means in said first position supporting said one of said flask support means in a first vertical position relative to said other flask support means, in which position the jolt flask support means is above the conveyor flask support means to support a flask thereon, said elevator means in said second position supporting said one of said flask support means in a second vertical position relative to said other flask support means, in which position the conveyor flask support means is above said jolt flask support means to support a flask thereon, said conveyor flask support means conveying a flask to said second conveyor, track means above said conveyor flask support means, sand measuring and dispensing means, squeeze head means against which sand in a flask is compacted, said sand measuring and dispensing means being supported by said track means and movable therealong, said squeeze head means being supported by said track means and movable therealong, first means connected to said sand measuring and dispensing means to move same alon g`said track means to a vertical position over a flask supported by said jolt flask support means to fill said flask, said first means also moving said sand measuring and dispensing means along said track means to a position which is out of vertical alignment with said jolt flask support means, and second means connected to said squeeze head means to move same along said track to a position in vertical alignment over a flask supported by said jolt flask support means, said second means also moving said squeeze head means along said track means to a position which is out of vertical alignment with said jolt ask support means, said first and second means alternatively moving said sand measuring and dispensing means and said squeeze head means into vertical alignment with said jolt flask support means.

9. A foundry mold-making machine for use with a flask comprising a jolt machine, a first flask conveyor leading to said jolt machine, a second flask conveyor leading from said jolt machine, said first and second flask conveyors being spaced longitudinally from each other, conveyor flask support means between said first and second flask conveyors, said jolt machine having jolt ask supundry mold-making mac m said jolt mameans having an opening therethrough for passage of said jolt fiask su tor means in said second position supporting support means, and power ram means mounted on said carriage for vertically actuating said squeeze head means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

